Good, high quality lens for Canon Rebel XT

[law guy]

$3500 suggestion, assuming you go 30D / a little under $3000 with XT/350 -

BH prices - some with psmay code where it applies:

30D - $1250
XT - $6-- something

and:

Walk-around / general - 24-105 f4L IS $1250
Wider - 17-40 f4L - $629
Longer - 70-200 f4 L - $584

 

[YS2003]

I appreciate the good suggestions I received on this thread. Even though I have a flexible budget, I don't want to over-spend on lens if I can get the good quality ones at the lower price from non-Canon makers.

****Ultra wide zoom lens******
Sigma 10-22mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM Lens---$498.00
(I heard this is better value than EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM SLR Lens (ultra wide zoom lens)---$689.95; also EF-S may not be used other high end Canon SLR cameras)

***Standard Lens (walk around lens)*****
Tamron Autofocus 28-75mm f2.8 XR---$368.99

****Portrait lens******
EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Telephoto lens (indoor, portrait lens, non-flash lens; but Not Macro)---$345.94

****Telephoto lens*****
EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM telephoto zoom lens (for long range telephoto lens)---$1139.99

****Macro lens****
Sigma 105mm f/2.8 Ex DG Macro Lens---$379

I think I will go with Canon EOS 30D 8.2MP Digital SLR Camera instead, as I would like to have options to use this well into the future as I gain more experience in photography.

So, what do you think about the above list so far? As you have noticed, I have replaced my original list (mostly Canon-branded lens) to the 3rd party lens (such as Sigma and Tamron).

I hope I covered the good lens coverage with the above list for:
landscape pix (long bridges, mountains, rivers, parks, hills, and etc), wildlife (long distance),
close up (flowers, insects, and close objects),
indoor pixs (portrait, flash and Non-Flash pictures such as in concert and night event),
casual walk around pictures which I can shoot (to collect various pix and textures I can use when I do the photoshop editing)

 

[PCM]

I would suggest avoiding buying any digital-only glass. Go with L glass and all full-frame compatible. You will eventually want to upgrade to full frame, trust me.

I'm on the Nikon system, and while the D200 hands down bests everything below the Canon 5d and even gives that body a run for it's money (many mags say the D200 is a better body than even the 5d), I've considered switching systems just for full frame.

However, if you never will want full frame and are happy with crop sensors, I would honestly say give Nikon a look. Canon glass is decent but Nikon has better glass and flash and metering systems, and the glass is cheaper.

My 2 cents. Good luck!

p.s. the 17-40 is a good lens and is great on the 5d. The 16-35 f2.8 is actually a little soft for my taste. I was dissapointed.

 

[Abstract]

Buy the Tamron 28-75 mm, and 70-200 mm, and buy everything else later to see how you do. The other lenses aren't really a necessity, and by spreading purchases out a bit, it gives you time to think about what you really need.

Plans change. You can't play with all 5 lenses at once anyway.

 

[monkeydo_jb]

The 85 f1.8 may be a little long on a 1.6x sensor. Especially indoors.

You might want to consider the 50 f1.8 or f1.4.

 

[bigbossbmb]

One of Tamron's main selling points for their lenses (besides great IQ) is a 7 year warranty.

 

[YS2003]

I would suggest avoiding buying any digital-only glass. Go with L glass and all full-frame compatible. You will eventually want to upgrade to full frame, trust me.

I thought Canon's EF series lens are compatible for all of the SLR cameras including EOS 30D and full frame model such as EOS 5D. Or, am I wrong? I agree; there would be the good possibility I may upgrade to the full frame/pro level digital camera in the future.

 

[sjl]

I thought Canon's EF series lens are compatible for all of the SLR cameras including EOS 30D and full frame model such as EOS 5D. Or, am I wrong? I agree; there would be the good possibility I may upgrade to the full frame/pro level digital camera in the future.

He said "digital only". EF series lenses aren't digital only. The problem with putting something like Sigma's 10-22 on a full-frame body, assuming that it fits and works, is that you're going to get some pretty severe vignetting (light dropoff) at the edges. Something that wide, for a full frame body, is very hard to make with reasonably even lighting. Consider that Canon's widest lens in an EF mount is 14mm...

Of course, if you can stop the lens down to say f/16, vignetting becomes less of an issue. But the point stays valid; you won't be able to stop down that much all the time.

You are absolutely right that EF series lenses are compatible with all their SLR cameras (unless you go back to FD mount bodies ). EF-S lenses are not. That only becomes an issue if you want a wide-angle lens that's not too expensive; the 17-40 (which is a very wide angle on a full frame body) is a bit too expensive for use as a general purpose lens on a crop body. Still, each to their own.

 

[YS2003]

Buy the Tamron 28-75 mm, and 70-200 mm, and buy everything else later to see how you do. The other lenses aren't really a necessity, and by spreading purchases out a bit, it gives you time to think about what you really need.

Plans change. You can't play with all 5 lenses at once anyway.

I will go with your suggestion (Tamron 28-75mm and Canon 70-200mm, with Canon EOS 30D) as I don't need to buy all the lens at the same time at this particular time. As I start taking pictures, I think I will get to know what other lens I would need. Or, more likely, I will post another thread asking more specific comments in the future.

 

[monkeydo_jb]

Get the 50 f1.8! It's only $75!

 

[Abstract]

I will go with our suggestion (Tamron 28-75mm and Canon 70-200mm, with Canon EOS 30D) as I don't need to buy all the lens at the same time at this particular time. As I start taking pictures, I think I will get to know what other lens I would need. Or, more likely, I will post another thread asking more specific comments in the future.

Well since you seem so willing to listen to my advice ( ), consider buying the Sigma 24-70 mm and Canon 70-200 mm. That extra 4 mm may not sound like much, but the fact that the Sigma goes as wide as 24 mm, and the Tamron goes to 28 mm will make a big difference in many situations. Both the Sigma and Tamron are good lenses anyway, but that Tamron 28-70 mm isn't very wide, and in certain situations you'll wish you had the Sigma 24-70mm or one of the 18-50 mm f/2.8 lenses by Tamron or Sigma. The Sigma 24-70 mm is much larger than the 28-75mm, though.

 

[Mantat]

Btw, I wouldnt take the 70-200 2.8. I am currently the owner of one of these and even tho it is a great lens, it is WAY too heavy! Get the F4 version. That is what I am going to do. You will only lose one stop but its worth it because a lot of the time I am not shooting wide open with my 2.8 because the DoF would be too big, ex: focus on the nose and ears/hairs arent sharp...

Also, wildlife require longer lens than 200mm. If you are serious about it, get a 400 F5.6L.

My camera bag would hold these:
- 70-200 F4 (walk about lens in the park)
- 400 F5.6 (getting birds)
- 50 F1.8 (you really need that one!) (portrait and macro with ext tubes)
- something very wide (prime) (landscape)
- a macro zoom (if you really want one)
- a zoom from around 30 to 120 as a walk around lens, if it can macro, even better! (general lens)
- 1.4 teleconverter (its always usefull!)
- kenko extension tube

Each lens has its use and isnt really overlaping. Also, I think I am way under 3000$ so with the saved money you can upgrade to a D30.

Hope it helps!

 

[chrismccorkle]

Yeah bro you need to throw a 50mm f/1.8 at LEAST in there. I have the 50mm f/1.4 USM and i will never look back at a smaller aperture.

 

[bloosqr]

Incidentally i think you are going too far out w/ the lenses and the gear, and the fact you were looking at the 85' portrait means you haven't quite thought this through i think. (also choosing btwn the xt/30d doesn't seem well thought out).

If you are used to your camera from journalism, I would consider waiting. The crop factor may or may not be an issue for you but the prices for full frames will at some point come down. (The 5D is i think $3k now for a full frame). What I would recommend is buying a cheap film canon (like the elan 7ne) and also buying the cheap rebel xt w/ the cheap kit lens (which i think is like $80 bucks or something). Use that and *do not* buy any more lenses. Yes you want to. Do not do it. Keep using the camera and look what range you use the cheap kit lense at (tele/wide), is low light an issue? (does it need to be faster?) take notes. This will tell you what you should buy (i.e. the big heavy 2.8 lenses or the constant 4L or fixed focal length or what?) What I would recommend then, is *not* to buy the expensive 2.8 EF-S lens, but buy the full frame equivalents. The glass will last you and that **** is expensive, so you dont want to accidentally spend $K's on something that is going to be obsolete when full frame is $300 a few years down the road.

Now in a few years some version of the 5D is going to drop to a range that is affordable (say $1k), chuck the rebel, get that, and keep your lenses. The crop factor will go away at some point, if for no other reason, prices for cameras are plummeting every 6 months, and the 5D shows how close to an affordable full frame we are.

 

[bloosqr]

Just to follow up again, do not buy an expensive digital body like the 30d because you think you will grow into it and it is flexible. By the time you hit the limits of the rebel xt (remember its the *exact* same sensor*), the 30d will be as obsolete as the xt. You will grow into the lenses because those buggers don't get obsolete in the same way, so the investment there is worth it (but those cheapy $100 lenses aka the rebel xt kit are worth it, as they are practically free compared to the price of digital bodies and will help you focus on where you should spend your money (if anywhere) ).

Be selective and buy the most expensive *useful* lenses you can afford, dont waste money on the expensive bodies just yet unless you know exactly why you need the expensive body (i.e. you have a fetish for taking photos of fast motorboats or one of them doesn't have spot metering and zoom metering isn't your thing)

btw in case i dont sound totally off the wall, the other trick people overlook is you can use the rebel to make your film photography much better as well... w/ all the money you save w/out the 30d and 800 lenses, snag a film scanner, a cheap film scanner will give you 80 meg 16 bit color images that will put your digital camera to shame. Now use the digital rebel to "play" and to learn, and redo the shots that work w/ your film camera and scan those film shots in. You now have the best of both worlds, digital when you need it and film that duplicates the same event at a much higher resolution than nearly every digital camera out there (particularly if you have a tripod etc). Chuck the film camera (hey it was only $200 and some change) when the dynamic range and resolution of the digital cameras match film.

 

[wheezy]

I... well, can't 2nd cause it's been said several times, but I repeat that the 50mm f/1.8 is a sweet lens despite the $75 cheap price ticket. Of my 3 lenses it's by far my favorite, really fast and very sharp, it does great indoors. I don't have an L lens yet to beat it out, but I've taken some great shots with it.

Just my 2cents. Oh, and Nikon vs Canon? Both are at the top of the game, you can't go wrong with either.

 

[YS2003]

Yeah bro you need to throw a 50mm f/1.8 at LEAST in there. I have the 50mm f/1.4 USM and i will never look back at a smaller aperture.

I saw reviews that 50mm f/1.8 is rather fragile and may not last long. 50mm f/1.4 USM costs about 4 times more than f/1.8; but, I heard that f/1.4 is a well made lens. I am going to add 50mm f/1.4 USM.

 

[chrismccorkle]

some photos i took this evening with the Canon 50mm f/1.4 USM

 

[Lebowski]

alot of stores have great deals on the 20D so they can make room for the 30D.

I nabbed an extra 20D with a few nice EFS lenses for under 2 grand.

 

[xPismo]

I am going to get the Canon Rebel XT SLR digital camera....I would appreciate it if you could recommend on the lens I can buy with Rebel XT. ...

Ok, of your list I say:

EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Telephoto Lens (portrait and good background blur lens)
EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM (standard daily lens)
EF 70-200mm f/4L USM (telephoto zoom lens)
EF 20mm f/2.8 USM (wide angle lens)

I'd personally go:

20 2.8 for indoor/wide/lowlight
50 1.8 (or 1.4) for portrait due to 1.6 crop
70-200 4 for sports / photog
24-85 3.5-4.5 for walking around.

why? EF-S locks you into something which wont hang around. As parts get cheaper, 1.6 will dissapear. Full frame is what everone wants.

24-85 is ~ $300 and better than you would believe. Its light, cheap, and, stopped down, awesome. Trust me, the equiv L lens is way heavy and bulky.

I do mostly PJ. Oh, with a 10d.